Written Answers Monday 10 January 2011

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been saved by not offering the hill path or track construction and repair option in the menu of options for the land management option scheme for farmers and crofters.

Richard Lochhead: Payment for maintaining paths is offered under the Improving Access option within the Rural Development Contracts Land Managers’ Options as part of the 2007 to 2013 Scotland Rural Development Programme.

Agriculture

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many farmers and crofters accessed support for developing or repairing hill paths or tracks through the land management option scheme in the years when this option was available and how much money this option cost in each of these years.

Richard Lochhead: The number of applicants accessing support and the level of support from the Improving Access option under Land Management Contract Menus Scheme (LMCMS) within the 2000 to 2006 Rural Development Programme and under Land Managers’ Options (LMO) within the 2007 to 2013 Scotland Rural Development Programme in each year it was available is as follows.

  

Year
Amount Paid
(£ Million)
Number of Producers Paid


LMCMS 2005
6.3
2,453


LMCMS 2006
9.9
3,890


LMCMS 2007
9.9
3,863


LMCMS 2008
9.8
3,860


LMCMS 2009
9.8*
3,860


LMCMS 2010
3.8**
1,849



  Notes:

  *Some payments still to be made.

  **Estimate - payments due to start in mid 2011.

  

Year
Amount Paid
(£ Million)
Number of Producers Paid


LMO 2008
0.1
46


LMO 2009
0.11
32


LMO 2010
0.5*
210



  Note: *Estimate - payments due to start in mid-2011.

Agriculture

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive to what use any money saved by not offering the hill path option in the menu of options for the land management option scheme for farmers and crofters has been put.

Richard Lochhead: Like applicants under the Land Management Contracts Menu Scheme, Land Managers’ Options applicants choose from a list of options, including path maintenance under the Improving Access option, up to a total maximum yearly allowance based on the area of land declared in their Single Application Form. Applicants who choose not to apply for funding under the Improving Access option may choose other options up to the level of that allowance.

Car Parks

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had regarding the full job specification of car parking attendants employed by CP Plus Ltd at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde car parks as part of its approved car park management plans.

Nicola Sturgeon: My officials have had no discussions with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde about the full job specification for car parking attendants employed by CP Plus Limited.

  Car parking management is a matter for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde that has a contract with CP Plus Ltd to provide car parking management services at the hospitals covered by the NHS board’s car parking policy. The contract sets out clearly the duties of the contractor in managing those car parks, including the car parking attendants, in line with the board’s car parking management policy.

Defence

Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met Fife Council to discuss the campaign to retain RAF Leuchars.

Bruce Crawford: I and my officials met with representatives of Fife Council and other partners, including Iain Smith MSP, on 22 December 2010, to discuss the campaign to retain RAF Leuchars in light of the potential threat posed to its future by the UK Government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Digital Technology

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the successful bids for funding from the Broadband Challenge Fund will be announced.

Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-38435 on 17 December 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37596 by Fergus Ewing on 17 November 2010, whether it has a timescale for announcing the funding that will be given to alcohol and drug partnerships in 2011-12.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government will announce the funding that will be given to alcohol and drug partnerships in 2011-12 following parliamentary approval of the Budget Bill.

First Minister

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister discussed the financial difficulties of The Gathering 2009 with the deputy leader of the City of Edinburgh Council prior to meeting him on 12 October 2009.

Jim Mather: The First Minister discussed the financial difficulties of The Gathering 2009 Ltd with the Deputy Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council in a telephone call on 9 October 2009. During that call, the First Minister invited the Deputy Leader and City of Edinburgh Council officials to attend a meeting to discuss the issues further on 12 October 2009.

Justice

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has instructed those responsible for issuing supervised attendance orders not to consider people who are subject to a fixed penalty notice

Frank Mulholland: Supervised attendance orders can be imposed as an alternative to imprisonment by a court when an offender has failed to pay a court imposed fine. As supervised attendance orders are a sentencing matter it would be inappropriate for COPFS to issue guidance or instructions on its use and COPFS has not done so.

NHS Boards

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether each NHS board is expected to operate within the HEAT financial targets.

Nicola Sturgeon: All NHS boards are expected to operate within the following HEAT financial targets:

  Revenue resource limit;

  Capital resource limit;

  Meet their cash requirement, and

  Achieve their efficiency savings targets, currently set at 2% for 2010-11.

Post Office

Elizabeth Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive  what applications have been made for funding from its Post Office Diversification Fund.

Jim Mather: Two hundred and fifteen applications were received by the closing date of 30 September 2010. Details of the 49 successful applicants have been published on the Scottish Government website at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/support/podiversificationfondscot/awardlist#top.